Ilia Topuria drops a bombshell as he reveals plan to leave MMA for boxing

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has revealed his future plans to leave mixed martial arts for professional boxing.

As we know, Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts today. He is a fantastic fighter in every sense of the word and in his last three fights alone, he has been able to knock out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira to become a two-weight UFC world champion.

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However, after recently announcing a hiatus from the sport to deal with some personal issues, Topuria’s future has been up in the air. We know that Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will compete for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 324, but beyond that, his return date is unclear.

In a recent interview, Topuria had the following to say about what his future holds.

Ilia Topuria said he doesn’t plan to compete in MMA much longer in a recent interview 👀

“I don’t think I’ll stay in MMA too long. It’s no secret I always wanted to go and test my skills in boxing. I want to finish my story in MMA first. At this moment, in MMA, I don’t think I’m… pic.twitter.com/bha69iS96L

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 14, 2025

Topuria reveals plans to leave MMA for boxing

“It’s no secret that I’ve always wanted to try my hand at boxing,” Topuria told Marca. “But I think something I’ve always applied to my life is that if you try to catch two rabbits, you end up catching neither. So, I want to finish my story in mixed martial arts, in MMA, first, and once I’m done, then make my complete transition to boxing. I can’t be preparing for an MMA fight, then leave, prepare for a boxing match, come back… I don’t think that would be very professional, would it?

“Because boxing requires a completely different approach, very, very, very different training that I have to adapt to. Obviously, the timing is different, and well, it’s not even an octagon; it’s a ring, and I would have to adapt to that, which takes time, like everything in life. So, right now, in mixed martial arts, when I finish—which I don’t think will be too long, to be honest—I’ll make my transition to boxing, and I’m going to surprise more than a few people.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting